Matter of Opinion
by Alleybat
Summary: Cassandra Cain is on the lookout for a kidnapped girl when she runs into Jason Todd, and as it turns out, he holds the only information to the girl's location.
1. Chapter 1

"Good work, Black Bat. Stick to the plan and keep in touch. Oracle out."

Barbara's voice rang in Cassandra's ear as she surveyed her work. Every one of the bats was on full alert tonight after the kidnapping of a young girl shook the city. Barbara was pulling all of her resources to keep the investigation organized; Dick, Damian, and Tim were working together to find the trail of the kidnapper; and Cass and Stephanie were in different sections of the city roughing up anyone who could provide information. Cass stood beside a pile of bodies; no one in the bar she entered knew anything about the kidnapping and the chatter in her ear told her that everyone else was getting the same results.

"I think we're dealing with a spur-of-the-moment crime guys" Tim's voice said in the comm.

"Oh no…" Steph sighed from her end. "Those are the worst."

"Alright team, looks like we're going to have a long night searching." Dick said. "Keep to your areas and search for anything, question anyone, and remember that a seven year old girl's life is at stake."

With that, the radio went silent again. Cass climbed to a nearby rooftop to begin her survey of the area. With Bruce in Africa, their forces were missing a vital piece. Dick was doing great as Batman, but she still wasn't used to him giving orders. Although, she didn't envy him, taking on Bruce's mantle and making Damian his Robin was a gargantuan task. Her eyes wandered the empty streets, looking for anyone to question. As she leapt from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a close watch, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned to see someone on a neighboring warehouse peering down through the skylight. She couldn't see him clearly, but there was no mistaking that helmet on his head. Jason Todd, the Red Hood. She never expected to meet him here; no one had seen him since his last encounter with Dick and Damian. She moved toward him, but her mission held her back. Another day, she thought as she watch him enter the warehouse.

She put the Red Hood out of her mind and began scouring the area for any lead. Only about five minutes had passed since she left Jason behind when she heard a gunshot ring out from his direction. Her heart sank and she bolted back to the warehouse he entered. Without a second thought she burst through the skylight and found herself in the middle of an interrogation. Jason was standing nonchalantly next to some burly looking men, who were upside down and red in the face, but otherwise unscathed.

"Can I help you with something…. Baby Bat?" Jason said sarcastically.

"I thought you killed someone…" Cass said, ignoring the 'Baby Bat' comment.

"Nope, just some old fashioned interrogation." He said motioning at a barrel in the corner that had some white powder spilling out of a small bullet hole. "I think that there may be heroin in these boxes, and these guys are definitely the pushers. You can call in to the rest of the 'family' about it if you see fit. I have more important things to take care of." And with that he grappled out.

A quick call to Oracle and the cops were on their way to the warehouse. Her major concern was the little girl, but she also had the sneaking suspicion that she needed to stick close to Jason. He hadn't gotten far and she caught up to him quickly on a neighboring rooftop.

"Following me now, are you Baby Bat?" He said, she could tell that under the helmet he was smirking at her, like he waited for her to catch up to him.

"It's not 'Baby Bat'," she said, half annoyed. "It's Black Bat, and yes, I'm following you."

"I knew you couldn't resist my charms," he said. He was obviously hiding something from her, and she wasn't going to let that slide.

"What are you doing out here anyway, Jason?" she asked.

"Haven't you heard?" He said, acting shocked. "A little girl was kidnapped tonight. I'm on the lookout for her. I have a good source telling me that she's in this area."

"You do?" Cass asked. "Do you know where exactly?" She could hear the desperation in her own voice. After a long night of searching, his lead was the only thing they had to go on. She just hoped it was a good one.

"Don't you have a better source for leads?" he asked mockingly. "I mean you've got the almighty Oracle, the smarty pants replacement, two Batmen-"

"Bruce it out of the country right now," she cut him off. "And all our leads are dead. If you know anything… let me help you at least?"

She could tell he was taken aback by her request, he moved his mouth to say something, but was generally surprised to be offered her help. He turned away from her and began to move from rooftop to rooftop. Not bothering to protest when she followed. They continued on for five minutes in complete silence. Her chest tightened with every step, Jason was fidgety and kept glancing back at her, trying to formulate a conversation.

"So, Baby Bat-" he started.

"Black Bat" Cass corrected.

"Black Bat…" he sighed. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel his gaze move all over her. He didn't hide his thoughts well as he scanned her. His body language said it all. He coughed audibly before Cass cut him off.

"I know exactly what you're thinking." She said, smirking slightly. It was weird, normally she felt uncomfortable when men ogled her, but with Jason it was different. Kind of like how she felt with Conner all that time ago, she liked it.

"What? I have no idea what you mean…" He said looking away from her.

"You're breathing is staggered, and even though I can't see your eyes, I know you're looking at me. You're an open book Jason." She said, moving back into his line of sight.

She figured that if she could see his face he'd be redder than his helmet. Messing with him was fun, and she went in for the kill. Moving in close to him, she put her hands on either side of his helmet and he stiffened before her. Her heart beat in anticipation as she moved to unsnap the hinges, the only thing between her and his lips before he jumped away from her pointing south of them.

"There's a light on over there!" he said too enthusiastically and with a slight squeak in his voice.

She turned in the direction he was pointing and sure enough, there was an eerie light on in a neighboring warehouse. They exchanged a quick glance before moving toward it.

As soon as they reached the skylight over the lit room, dread swept over the both of them. Peering down they could see a man with a bloody knife and a camera set up in the corner. Without missing a beat, they both dropped in on the worst crime scene Cass had ever seen. The man with the knife stood frozen for a half second staring at them before dropping his weapon and bolting. A small noise behind them made them turn at once. They had found the little girl. She was totally naked, one of her legs had been severed, she had deep gashes all over her, and she was still alive, barely. Jason immediately turned to follow the girl's killer, but Cass lingered.

She watched the girl's eyes. She was so young, so afraid, in so much pain, and she wasn't long for the world. Cass took her eyes off of her for a moment and found a torn blue dress, covered in blood, on the table with the knife. She moved swiftly, taking the dress and covering the girl with it. She was fading quickly and Cass stayed with her the whole while. She wished she knew what to tell her, she wondered if the girl could hear her, she was in such a state of shock that she just stared forward. Until all the pain, and all the fear left and she was gone.

Cass felt her rage boil and without thinking she ran after Jason and his target. She heard a gunshot ring out as she rounded the corner and spotted Jason standing over the girl's killer, who was clutching his leg, fresh blood spilling out of a bullet wound. As she closed the distance Jason pressed his gun against the wounded man's head, fully intending to kill him. Cass acted quickly, throwing a batarang at the gun before body slamming him out of the way.

"What are you doing?!" Jason yelled, stumbling backwards.

"No killing, not ever!" She shouted back pulling the man to his feet.

"Are you kidding me?! Did you see that girl?! This guy deserves more than just death!" Jason said taking aim at the man's head a second time. Cass' reflexes were too fast for Jason as she kicked the gun out of his hand.

"You're right…" She growled. "He deserves much more than death!" With that she delivered a precision punch to the man's chest, stopping his heart. This was something she hadn't done since she first learned to speak; that time she received a heavy scolding from Bruce. But she also hadn't been this angry since then. Watching that poor little girl die was a reminder as to why she needed to be better at what she did, to not be so slow next time, to not get so distracted. She watched the fear in the mad man's eyes as he gasped and choked, desperate for his heart to beat again. When the look in his eyes told her he resigned himself to die, she punched him again, restarting his heart, and dropped him to the floor.

Jason looked on, but she ignored him this time as she pressed the communicator in her ear.

"Oracle…" she said, her voice quavering from adrenaline. "I found her, and her captor… You're going to need to call in homicide." Oracle knew her positioning, so there was no need to explain her location. By the time Oracle was done telling her that the girl's death wasn't her fault Jason was out of sight. Cass could still sense him on a rooftop nearby. She wasn't sure if it was curiosity that made her grapple her way up to him, or if she was drawn to him, but she soon found herself standing opposite him as police sirens drew closer. His hands were in his pockets and he was contemplating something serious, that much she could tell.

"Why didn't you let me kill him? What's so wrong about it?" he said after a long silence.

"Becau-" she started, but the sound of another grapple line caught both of their attention. Cass turned for a moment to see who was headed their way and sensed Jason slip away behind her. She didn't move to stop him, she wanted to keep their meeting tonight a secret, for some reason. She could tell Jason cared as much as she or any of the other members of the "family" did. He was just willing to take it further than any of them ever dared. As these conclusions entered her mind, Tim came into view. He was the closest one to her and must have rushed over the second he heard the news.

"Cass," he said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I'll be okay, is what I mean." He looked at her knowingly, any time a death happened on their watch, everyone felt responsible. It was a matter of learning from it and making sure it didn't happen again.

"Was there someone else here?" he asked, looking around. "I thought I heard another voice up here."

"No, no one." She answered.

"Must have been a cops voice." He said watching as the officers below arresting the girl's killer.

"Must've been…" she said. Looking in the direction Jason slipped away.


	2. Chapter 2

All of the bats did it. When a mission didn't go their way, when someone died who could have been saved, they all returned to the scene to run the night's events over in their head again. Cass was no exception to the rule. Homicide was still covering every inch of the warehouse the girl was kept in, so the yellow tape prevented her entering, not that she was upset by this. Following the path from the broken window to the spot where she stopped Jason from killing a mad man, she began to wonder about what he was doing right now. Did he have this habit of self blame too? Was it something Bruce passed along? Or was it just something that those who were right for the job did? She peered over her shoulder to the warehouse where Jason took his leave of her the night before. Her curiosity won out and she soon found herself overlooking the same area as the night before.

She sensed him before she heard him, he really didn't try to keep his presence hidden from her. Turning around, she saw Jason standing behind her, hands in his pockets, just like the night before.

"You never answered my question..." He said, taking a step toward her. "What's so wrong with killing someone who deserves it?"  
She took a deep breath, formulating an answer in her head. Last night, in the midst of adrenaline she was so sure of what to say. Ready for his tough questions.

"Because, it's not my job to kill him." she answered. "The police have him and, according to Oracle, enough evidence to put him to death a hundred times over."

"Don't you know?" he asked, moving closer to her still. "Even if he does get the death penalty, he'll just sit on death row for years while his lawyers appeal his case every step of the way, trying to reduce his sentence. If he does ever get his injection, it'll be years down the road when this case is but a memory. It won't matter anymore."

"It'll matter to the family." Cass said.

"Yeah, the family." Jason half laughed. "They're going to have to suffer through the viewing of that video in court... and the constant appeals that keep the man who killed their daughter from the death he deserves." There was a pause, he let her process the information. "I ask again, What's wrong with killing someone who deserves it?"

He was looking for more than the usual answer of 'because it's not my job', he wanted a personal reason. He was prying it from her. Why? She wasn't sure, but she knew that he wasn't going to be satisfied until she told him the whole truth.

"I'm not... fond of killing." she said. "I was raised to be a killing machine by my father, David Cain." The name triggered a small response in Jason, he knew David Cain's reputation. "He taught me how to read a person's body language, to effectively read their mind. I didn't even learn how to speak until after I became Batgirl, and that was a fluke encounter. I'm still not entirely sure how it worked."

"So," he said. "If you were raised to be an assassin... What made you change your mind?"

This was the part of the story that was hardest to tell. She bit her lip, contemplating how to continue. She never had to actually tell the story to anyone before. Those who knew found out, somehow. And those who didn't, she had no intention of telling.

"I..." she said. "I killed someone. When I was eight. Cain, my dad, made me. It was an assignment. And I just..."

"You were so good at reading body language." he cut her off. "That watching him die, was like feeling yourself die." She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. "So, you're different than everyone else, who have a moral code that prevents them from killing ever. You've experienced it, and choose not to." She nodded again.

"What about you?" She said after a moment. "What is it that drives you to kill? Bruce told me about you, before we found out you were alive, and the way he talked you were just as against the idea as anyone else. He was really proud of you, you know. Your death shook him to the core."

She could see old anger rising in him when she brought Bruce's feelings into the equation. His agitation spread through him until he was pacing on the rooftop. She could tell he was going to answer, she just needed to wait for it. After a few moments of gesturing at her wordlessly, he took a deep breath and said;

"I don't kill indiscriminately... I only kill those who deserve it, people who kill innocents, who are never going to change their ways. And when it comes to Bruce," he looked away from her with a scowl for a moment. "I don't believe that he really cared. If he did, the Joker would be dead."

"I think you're looking at this from the wrong perspective Jason." she said. "You think that your death should have caused him to take revenge and kill the Joker but, he thought about killing him plenty of times. I think he tried to honor your memory by not breaking his moral code to never kill anyone. Did you ever think of it like that?" Jason looked down at his feet and contemplated her words. "Another thing," she added. "What would you do if you killed someone who was innocent? What if the man from last night discovered the crime scene seconds before we did and ran for fear that we would think he was the killer?" His head shot up at the suggestion.

"I... don't think I haven't thought about that." he said quietly. "I think about it almost all the time, it wasn't so bad being in jail, 'cause I knew those men were guilty. But, sometimes I second guess myself out here. I know Dick and Bruce think I've gone crazy, but I'm doing a job neither of them would dare to do, and it just seems crazy to them. I made a big production of it for a while, but it really eats me up sometimes."

The silence that followed his words was deafening. His head dropped again and Cass could see how exposed he felt telling her his fears. She felt terrible for bringing them to the surface and without thinking rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. His body was warm and her head fit perfectly nudged in his chest. She placed her ear next to his heart, his pulse quickened at her touch and he squeezed her back. She lifted her eyes to look at him. That helmet of his was in the way. Pulling out of his embrace, she put her hands on either side of it, unlatching it without even the slightest bit of protest from him.

His hands were still on her hips as she dropped the helmet to the ground. This was the first time she'd seen his face, her eyes moved all over it, studying every line and feature. He was wearing another mask under the helmet so his eyes were still hidden, but his expression told her enough. She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek, running her finger down the side of his face. He pulled her in closer as she did until his lips met hers. Her breath caught and she felt his hands move up her back, sending a chill down her spine, before they rested on her cheeks. He pulled away from her and she leaned forward in protest, following his departing lips. His hands moved to her mask and he slowly began to peel it away. It wasn't a long process and when he was done his hands rested on her cheeks. It was his turn to study her face and he smiled at her as his fingers peeled off some left over gum that was caked on her nose.

She needed his lips again and dove in for the kill, knocking him off balance. They hit the ground hard but didn't stop. She peeled off his second mask and pulled away to look into his eyes. They were a piercing blue, and everything in them told her what he was thinking. He pulled her back into the kiss and parted her lips with his tongue. A soft moan escaped him as she followed suit. His hands moved all over her until they found her back again, a familiar shiver ran down her spine as he found the zipper on her suit. She pulled him in deeper, letting him know to continue. He obliged and slowly unzipped her. The cool night caught her exposed skin as she sat up on him, breathing heavily. He watched her for a moment as she unwrapped the bandages from her arms and unsnapped the cape from her collar. He adjusted himself underneath her so he could sit up and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her again.

She acted quickly, putting her hands in his leather jacket and dropping it from his shoulders. He let go of her long enough for her to completely remove it before bringing his hands back up to pull at the loose uniform that hung on by her shoulders. She wiggled her arms from the tight sleeves and wrapped them around his neck to kiss him again, but this time his lips found the space between her neck and shoulder. Her body tingled as he made his way around her neck, his hands creeping under her sport's bra, pushing it up exposing her breasts to the night air. She felt goosebumps form as he cupped one in his hand and wrapped his lips around the other. Her body reacted to every little movement as his tongue made little circles around her nipple. Her back arched as his hand left her breast and trailed down her stomach into her pants. He softly bit her nipple as his hand made small backwards and forwards motions over her underwear. She made a small noise between a moan and a squeak before standing up off of him. He stayed sitting on the rooftop watching her intently as she removed the rest of her uniform and her bra.

He got up immediately and pulled his shirt and gloves off, throwing them to the ground. She watched him search around the rooftop until he grabbed her cape and his jacket, making a comfortable spot on the roof. He turned back to her and cleared his throat audibly to see that she was already making her way over the make shift bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deep, pressing her bare chest against his, feeling his heartbeat more strongly now. His hands moved down to the buttons on his pants as he kissed her, she felt him fumble around for a little bit before pulling away to see what the problem was.

"These pants have some complicated buttons." he laughed nervously. She looked at his fumbling fingers for a moment before taking matters into her own hands ripping a few buttons off in the process. "Well, that works I guess..." he said as she sat on his jacket on the ground. He shimmied his pants off and knelt beside her, rubbing his hands along her hipbones and kissing her neck again. A whine escaped her as his hand worked its way into her underwear and it was cold. It was weird as she became used to the temperature and he pressed against her moving in a small circle before inserting his finger. The sensation surprised her and she took a sharp breath inward, which caused him to reel back a little. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she breathed. "It's just a new sensation. I wasn't quite prepared for that."

"Hold on a minute..." he said. "Is this your first time?"

"Well, yeah..." she confessed. "The work doesn't leave much room for romance..."

"It can if you let it." He said, kissing her on the cheek and sliding his finger against her, flexing it along the way. She whined and wrapped her arms around him digging her fingernails into his back which made him respond by rubbing her harder. Her back arched and her hips rocked back and forth, yearning to feel more. His other hand moved to remove her underwear, pulling it down one hip at a time. "How about you lay down?" he asked, removing his finger from inside her. She was disappointed for a moment, but did as he asked. His jacket was cold against her bare back and she shivered a little as he pulled her underwear off the rest of the way.

He leaned over her a little to remove his own underwear. Throwing both of them in the pile of clothes that had formed on the rooftop. She sat up before he could move, intrigued by his body. She had never seen a naked man before and nothing was like how she pictured it, especially the part of him that was now plainly visible. She reached out to touch it, it was hard but also soft and it had a curve to it that she never expected. He grunted a little as she moved her fingers along it, working her way to the tip. She traced her thumb along the bottom until she found a hard spot near the end, she pressed into the spot and his whole body shook a little as it twitched in her hand. He put his hands on her shoulders and cleared his throat,

"Um, how about we move on?" he breathed shakily. She made a mental note to figure out what it was she just did to him and laid back on his jacket. He put his hands under her legs and lifted her hips off the ground scooting himself forward until he was pressed against her. She looked up at his face, which was scrunched in concentration, and felt him begin to slide into her. There was a sting of pain from the initial penetration, but it dulled quickly. He moved into her slowly an inch at a time. This was definitely much different than his finger, it filled her completely and she could feel every movement he made. His breathing was harsh and staggered, his face more concentrated than before. She could feel the tension in him and put a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He looked at her, surprised.

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?"

"I'm perfectly fine, what's wrong with you?"

"It's... your first time right? I'm trying not to hurt you or anything..."

"I'm not hurt," she said. "Keep going."

Resolve flashed in his eyes and he pushed himself the rest of the way in, causing her to gasp a little. Before he could say anything she caught his arm again and smiled at him.

"Ready to go Baby Bat?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Suddenly the nickname wasn't so bad, she thought. He began to move again, slowly and rhythmically. The sensation she had before with his finger returned with force. Her breath came in gasps as he picked up the pace, moving rougher than before. She wrapped her hands around his neck, tugging at his hair. He leaned over her, positioning himself deeper, his face pulled into a grimace. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling harder than before. He grunted a little and leaned into her to kiss her. This time, his kiss was rough and passionate. He bit at her lower lip and wrapped his arms under her, pushing her head into his kiss. She moved her hands down his back, feeling his muscles tense with every thrust of his hips.

His body tensed more and more, his breath caming in short bursts. He hardened and twitched inside her as he moved faster than ever. She ran her fingernails down his back, consumed completely by every touch as he gripped her hair. With one final thrust of his hips he let out a small grunt as his body tensed on top of her. For a minute they laid there breathing heavily as something warm flooded her. He untangled himself from her pulling out in the process and flopped to her side. She laid there for a moment as the chill of the night crept in again, she had been so warm up to this point. Sitting up, she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her, shivering. The warm fluid inside of her dripped out and she reached a hand down to feel it. It was thick and sticky, and it slid easily between her fingers. She looked at him beside her. There was a look about him, the intensity of the moment was washed away and all that was left was the two of them on a rooftop in Gotham, staring at the lights of the city.

He sat up next to her, picking up his jacket from behind her and draping it over her shoulders. Putting an arm around her, rubbing her to warm her up.

"So, I was just thinking..." He said. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "After what you said... I'm starting to wonder myself why I kill." She laid her head on her arms, listening intently. "I was so sure of myself. I thought what I was doing was right... But maybe Dick and Bruce have a point. Maybe I need to reevaluate my reasons." He sighed looking her straight in the eye. "I think I need to get out of Gotham, travel... Do something with myself other than wallow in the past." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. "What do you think, Baby Bat?"

"I think you should do it." She said plainly. "No one is stopping you, go for it."

Her words ignited a fire in him and he shot to his feet. She pulled the jacket around her tightly as he dug through the pile of clothes, pulling on his boxers. He had a little more trouble with his pants.

"You did a number on these." He laughed. "Three buttons gone, and I have no idea where they are right now." He found his shirt and gloves in the pile and pulled them on as well. "This'll do though, I don't want to search for them." He found his mask and shoved it in his pocket, picking up his helmet from where she dropped it. He made his way over to her, kneeling down to kiss her one last time. It was sweet, but fleeting. She followed his lips as he pulled away. Taking the mask from his pocket and sticking it back on his face before snapping the helmet back over his head, he walked over to the edge of the rooftop and glanced back at her.

"See you around, Baby Bat."


End file.
